Moments of Assistance
by Miss Junie
Summary: Although he didn't mean to be, Jim Kirk was quite instrumental in beginning the relationship between Spock and Nyota.  Traces two scenes in the movie, and the others are unseen.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** I saw Star Trek 2009 the movie last summer, and fell in love with Spock and Uhura. I've watched a few of the originals, but admit the 2009 movie I've watched more than a couple of times! I've created this story based on a few moments in the movie, but most are originals. Hope you all like it, and happy writing, reading, and reviewing :)! Many thanks to my amazing beta, syfymango!

**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters do not belong to me, but to the franchise. I am merely borrowing them for a short time!

* * *

"Gaila, I don't understand why on earth exactly we're going to a _bar,_" Nyota moaned.

"Oh, hush." Gaila stuck her tongue out at her roommate. "Because you've been working like a beast all semester, and it's time you take an evening just to remember what it's like to have a life outside work, and to de-stress before your next exams."

Nyota shook her head, but had to silently agree with her roommate. She knew that she worked too hard sometimes, but it was because she had to. She couldn't live with just putting effort in. She had to put 100% of her effort into it, until she was satisfied that it was good enough. What passed for other people didn't pass for her. It needed to be perfect. But, it was also good that she had Gaila to drag her away at times, because she knew that she had to take a quick break before starting her finals.

They reached the bar and squealing, Gaila led her over to the bartender.

"Yes, ladies? What can I get you this fine evening?" He said with a lecherous grin, looking Nyota up and down.

She tried to suppress her disgust at his blatant attitude, and let Gaila order for her. She turned around and her gaze swept the room. The bar was a frequent haunt of the Academy, both Cadets and instructors. She saw Captain Pike – just named Captain of the _Enterprise_ – sitting in a corner with a couple of colleagues.

She also noticed some of her friends from other classes here, including Sulu and Chekov, two of the men she'd had Logistics of Warp Traveling III in last semester. For some reason, they both went by their last names, preferring them to their given names. She presumed they were trying to get in the habit for their eventual service in Star Fleet. She also saw some of the boys she'd known in that class who'd dropped out due to the class pressure. She'd had to interact with them a total of two times, and thanked her lucky stars when they dropped out of the class. They were rude, ignorant, and to put it in Terran terms; _jerks._

She pretended she hadn't noticed them and went over to greet Sulu and Chekov.

"Good evening, boys." She smiled at both of them before pulling each into a close hug. Even though it wasn't her main aim of schooling, she had formed some close friendships with some of her fellow Cadets.

"Nyota!" Sulu greeted happily. Chekov nodded enthusiastically at her. "Come to see our chances of winning the annual chess game?"

Nyota rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, for some reason they were both huge chess fanatics. It wasn't that she didn't understand the game, she did. But, she much preferred a game where talk and physical skill were also utilized, rather than just one's brain. She did enough of that in her academic career to want a brief escape during her extremely limited social life.

"Of course," she said teasingly. "I'm guessing that you're going to be going home empty-handed!" She raised her eyebrows teasingly and smirked at them before bursting out laughing at their mock-wounded expressions.

"So, Nyota, you do not think ve can vin?" Chekov challenged.

"Of course I do boys; it just depends on your competition." She winked at them both, letting them know she was only joking and saw Gaila waving at her from the bar. "Excuse me boys, I believe I'm needed somewhere for a minute."

"Is that Gaila?" Sulu asked, perking up.

Nyota laughed and headed towards her roommate. "What's up?" She prompted.

"Do you mind helping with the drinks? I've got them for us, and I got them for your friends as well." Gaila looked wistfully at Sulu. For her flirtatious nature and sexual freedom, she never initiated a relationship that she knew would be a serious one, and she knew from her first five minutes of meeting Sulu that their relationship would be serious. Instead, they had exchanged flirtatious glances occasionally, and she would get tongue-tied whenever she was around him, leaving Nyota to roll her eyes in exasperation at both of their antics.

"Sure." Nyota laughed at the love-sick expression on Gaila's face. "Just go over and ask him to dance, he won't say no!"

"Nyota!" Gaila exclaimed, looking scandalized. "You know I can't do that." She left the bartender eagerly anyway, heading over to where Chekov and Sulu were sitting.

She looked around at all the people laughing around her, noting their drinks in hands. For once, she decided to let her inhibitions drop, and figured that once in a blue moon, she'd become a bit risky. She ordered a shot from the bartender.

"Make that two, her shots on me." A voice came down from her right, and Nyota turned to acknowledge it. And the person she saw made her groan. That guy from the farm down the ride, again.

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Her shots on her." She said quickly to the bartender. "Thanks but no thanks." She told the guy.

"Don't you at least wanna know my name before you completely reject me?" The guy sounded wounded.

She shook her head. "I'm fine without it."

He ignored her comments. "You _are _fine without it. It's Jim, Jim Kirk." He said suggestively. He waited for her to respond with her name, but she just stared at the wall in front of her, refusing to respond. "If you don't tell me your name I'm gonna have to make one up." He said apologetically.

She sighed. "It's Uhura."

"Uhura?" He said excitedly. "No way! That's the name I was gonna make up for you! Uhura what?"

"Just Uhura." She said quickly.

"They don't have last names in your world?" He cocked an eyebrow at her.

She smirked at him. "Uhura is my last name."

He stared back in confusion. "Then they don't have... uh first names in your world?"

One of the Cadets that had been in her class before cut in gruffly. "This townie isn't bothering you right?"

She thought quickly, hoping to defuse the situation. "Oh, beyond belief. But it's nothing I can't handle."

"You could handle me if that's an invitation." He said with a smirk.

"Hey, you better mind your manners." He snapped at Kirk.

Kirk mock-sighed. "Oh relax, cupcake, it was a joke."

Then the other drop-out Cadet's came over and Nyota sighed. What was it about her that always attracted trouble?

"Hey farmboy. Maybe you can't count. But there are four of us and one of you." He said, crossing his arms menacingly.

Kirk groaned and rubbed his eyes. He stood up so he could look the Cadet straight in the eyes. "So get some more guys and then it'll be an even fight."

Nyota inwardly-groaned, definitely not the right thing to say. And the first punch flew. And the second, and she lost count.

She desperately tried to look around, hoping to see someone who could stop the fight. Just then, Kirk was flung back her way by a punch from one of the other Cadets and accidentally grabbed onto both her breasts. He smiled up at her suggestively and her face fell for a second in shock. She shoved her hands against his chest to push him away from her, just as a hand fell onto Kirk's neck and he fell down to the floor in a stone-heap.

She looked to see Commander Spock standing with his arms folded behind his back looking at her without emotion, but she could have sworn she saw a glimmer of anger in his eyes. "Cadet Uhura." he acknowledged her. "Are you in good health?"

She nodded her head. "Thank you for your assistance, Commander." She blushed furiously inwardly, knowing that he had just seen Kirk with his hands on her chest.

"No thanks necessary," he replied promptly. "I concluded that the boy's attentions were antagonistic to the other Cadets and that stopping the fight promptly was a priority, especially with the inappropriate moment that he resulted in."

Nyota groaned more inwardly here, praying for evil things to fall on Kirk's head. "Nevertheless, thank you, Commander." She said softly.

He nodded, "Thanks are unnecessary, but acknowledged." He nodded once more at her, and turned continuing back to the table where Captain Pike was looking at them curiously.

As he walked away, Nyota could have sworn that the tips of his ears had turned green. Was it in anger, she wondered? Or another emotion? Or simply nothing at all?

"Well."

Nyota laughed, trust Gaila to turn up at that moment. "Hi, Gaila."

"So, want to tell me what that was all about?" She indicated down at the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:** Thank you SO much everyone who favorited/alerted/reviewed this chapter, it really made my day! Unfortunately I haven't been able to respond to reviews yet due to a crazy RL schedule, but wanted to get an update for you all, and promise to respond as soon as I can! Thanks again to my AWESOME beta, syfymango. Thank you all so, SO much again!

**Disclaimer:** Not intended for any copyright infringment. Unfortunately, this does not belong to me :(!

* * *

Nyota moaned grabbed her pillow and slammed it across her face. Of all the times for Gaila to come in late, it had to be _this_ night. The night before her final exam for her Xenolinguistics II class, one of the hardest classes in the Academy, and taught by the hardest instructor, Commander Spock.

Gaila had been her roommate since she had joined the Academy, and although there had been large amounts of fights at first – mainly attributed to Gaila's sex drive, and Nyota's obsessive neatness – they had worked out their problems and were close as, well, as sisters.

However, that didn't mean that Gaila had lost her sex drive;

merely that she had arranged alternate 'accommodations' in order to continue. It also meant her coming home to the dorm at any hour in the day.

Nyota had spent the past three months studying as hard as humanely possible for this test, determined that she would obtain the highest mark she could, and as close to 100% as she could. Failure was simply not an option. And neither was locking the door to keep out one's roommate coming home at 0200 when her test was scheduled for 0900 hours she mused.

"Oops, sorry!" Gaila tried to whisper. "I'm just going to find my bed and oof!-"

Nyota bolted upright in bed. "What on earth is it?" She screeched.

Gaila sat up giggling. "I fell over your 'neat' pile of books," she said, pointing to the once neat pile of books now lying haphazardly on the floor.

"Layls, I don't have time for this. I have my final tomorrow with Commander Spock, and you _know_ that I need to sleep otherwise I'm going to flunk it!" She clutched her hair in desperation, already picturing a large, red circled "F" in her mind. Not that such grades were now given out, they were now in percentages. But she watched many old Terran movies were that would happen. She'd also seen the movie where the children with the lowest marks had to sit in a corner with a large hat with the word, "Dunce," on it.

"Woah, slow down." Gaila held her hands out, "First of all, you are _not_ going to flunk this test. So, stop panicking! And, I'm sorry I woke you up, but go back to sleep, you can do it!"

"How on earth do you think I'm going to get back to sleep when I'm obviously so awake right now?" Nyota asked in agitation, watching as Gaila stood up and came closer to the bed.

Gaila smiled sweetly at her, and started singing softly.

Nyota started to feel sleepy and smelled roses. And then she realized what her room-mate was doing. Emitting pheromones to make her drowsy, "Gaila!-" She fell asleep mid-protest.

Gaila looked down at her unconscious room-mate guiltily. But, there hadn't really been another option, and she needed to get her sleep. Satisfied, she cleaned up the pile of books that she'd knocked over on her way in, and set the alarm clock for 0730 hours, knowing that if Nyota wasn't going to give her a stern enough lecture tomorrow after her test about coming home at reasonable hours, that missing her test would definitely blister her ears.

She fell asleep with the picture of tonight's hunk in her mind, a Mr. Jim Kirk. A smile wistfully played on her lips, maybe soon Commander Jim Kirk?

Nyota ran frantically around their dorm, trying to remember whether she'd gotten all her things together that she needed for the final. She had her PADD, her student identification card, stylus and a couple of extras, _just in case. _

Gaila groaned from her bed and pulled the pillow from underneath her head, and clasped it over to her face. Nyota grinned at their role-reversals from last night.

"What is this _ungodly_ hour?" Gaila groaned.

"0800 hours," Nyota responded promptly.

"And remind me, precisely why you're awake?"

Nyota rolled her eyes. Gaila had the memory of a gold-fish when it came to tests. Another reason she was thankful for the wall calendar that she had insisted upon, despite Gaila's misgivings that it clashed with her complexion. Instead of answering, she simply pointed to the calendar.

Gaila's lips turned up in a mischievous smirk. "Just kidding." She grinned at Nyota and her sigh of exasperation. "Do your best with the knowledge you possess," she said solemnly.

"Thanks, Layls." Nyota grinned back at her room-mate.

"Sure you got everything?" Gaila asked sarcastically, taking in the sight of Nyota's almost over-flowing knapsack.

Ignoring the sarcasm, Nyota ran through her mental checklist again. PADD, extra PADD in case first PADD broke, and another one just in case the back-up one broke. Check. Old-fashioned Terran writing utensils in case the Commander decided to utilize them. Check. Student ID. Check. Food. Check. "Yes." She took one last deep breath, glanced around the room and grinned.

"You ready?" Gaila asked seriously.

"Ready." Nyota took a deep breath, and walked out the door, and to the examination room.

The final took three hours, and to Nyota it felt like it had been a lifetime since she had walked in the room and started the test. During the examination, four out of the thirty students had broken down in tears. Six more had handed in their test paper's, faces ashen to Commander Spock. Ten more of those had handed in their examinations with tears threatening to fall. And the rest of them were left squirming in tense agitation. The pressure was mounting as their colleagues left, leaving the students still writing clearly visible.

Wondering whether that gaze was looking at them, and wondering if he had somehow been able to read their paper and was trying to convey that an answer was wrong. Or simply wondering why they hadn't already exited the room, knowing that they were going to fail.

Nyota didn't care about any of that though. She felt the gaze of the Commander fall upon her, and instead of ignoring it, she raised her head and nodded to acknowledge his gaze. He nodded back to her, eyes displaying no emotion as usual, and her head bent back to her work. She refused to be intimidated by the number of the students left in the room, knowing that she would take however long as necessary to accomplish what she needed.

And, to be quite honest, she was somewhat enjoying the examination. She knew that the examination was one of the hardest that she would experience at the Academy, and rather than being daunted by that, she welcomed the challenge. She knew that this was all in preparation for her future career on the _Enterprise_, and she would do whatever necessary (within her moral guidelines), to get there.

She finished the examination with 20 minutes to spare, and instead of handing in her paper and leaving, she closed her PADD, cleared her mind for a minute, and re-opened the PADD, double-checking all her work. She wanted to make sure that she had made no errors, and had done the best she possibly could.

She ended up in changing one answer. Not because she was wrong, but because she had remembered some additional information from reading another question. As a result, the answer was more rounded, and she was thoroughly satisfied with her work. As she closed her PADD, a bell chimed, signaling the end of the examination.

Nyota collected her examination PADD and other personal belongings. Three other students had remained with her until the end, and as they were seated at the front of the classroom, handed in their PADD's before her, and quickly left. She had sat in the middle of the classroom, preferring the personal space around her, and the feeling of not being stared at for being in the front, but not being able to hear from the back. She walked to the front of the classroom, handing in her PADD to Commander Spock.

"Thank you, Commander Spock for a wonderful semester, it's definitely been one of my favorite classes," she said earnestly.

He inclined his head in acknowledgment of her statement. "No thanks necessary, Cadet Uhura. I simply provided the knowledge as dictated by the course outline."

Nyota suppressed a smile. Vulcan's never accepted compliments. "Of course, Commander. Thank you again." She turned to leave.

"Cadet Uhura," he spoke quietly.

She turned around to face him. "Yes, Commander?"

"Your knowledge of this course is well above normal for other Cadets. May I inquire as to your further intentions within the Academy?"

Nyota smiled. "Commander, I would like to serve aboard the _Enterprise_ as a Communications Officer. I know that it is an extremely competitive position, and as such, every language that I can take aids my position more."

"Cadet, it is only logical that with your academic record that you be considered for such a position."

Nyota inclined her head in thanks.

"I believe your success rate will be high with the results of this examination." He spoke with no inflection, but Nyota knew that he was complimenting her.

"Thank you, Commander."

"I will have the results from this examination delivered to you before the end of today." He nodded at her to dismiss her.

"Thank you," she said softly. She took in one last look at the classroom where she had learned so much, and quickly walked out of the door.

And straight into Jim Kirk.

"Oof!" Nyota found herself flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling.

Nyota opened her eyes and groaned at the throbbing in the back of her head. Of all the people to run into in one of the hallways, it would have had to be him.

"Well, hello," he said huskily, opening his eyes and looking down at her.

"Get off me!" She said indignantly, pushing at his chest to let her up.

"Cadet Uhura, Cadet Kirk, may I inquire as to the meaning of this?"

Nyota groaned and closed her eyes, praying that when she opened them, she wouldn't still be lying underneath Jim Kirk, and that Commander Spock wouldn't have witnessed said incident. She opened her eyes. No such luck.

"Cadet Uhura?" He prompted.

Thankfully, Jim took that moment to stand up and extended a hand to help pull Nyota up. She glared at him, and ignored his hand. Pretending not to notice her reaction, Jim swept a hand over his hair. "My fault, Commander Spock. I was walking down the hallway and did not notice Cadet Uhura exiting, and unfortunately knocked her over."

Spock raised his eyebrow, the only expression of emotion he would allow himself. He often thought how clumsy these human males were, and this was no exception. And to leave Cadet Uhura still lying on the floor. He snapped his attention back to her. "Do you require assistance to stand up, Cadet Uhura?"

"No, thank you," she said through gritted teeth. The throbbing in the back of her head was growing stronger, and it felt like a team of Romulans were banging hammers inside of her skull. She slowly collected the items that she had dropped when Kirk had banged into her, trying to delay standing up. Knowing that she couldn't delay any longer, and feeling the curious glances of Commander Spock and Kirk on her, she slowly got herself to her feet. The throbbing inside her head increased and she winced.

"Are you feeling alright, Cadet Uhura?" Spock inquired politely.

The throbbing inside her head had now reached pitch volume and the world was starting to shake around her. She put out a hand to touch the wall and promptly collapsed.

The little army in her head had now subsided their banging and were instead only doing a soft march on her cranium were her first thoughts of waking up.

Second was her concern about why everything was so _white._ Painfully white.

Third was why she was lying on a bed.

"Welcome back, Cadet Uhura," spoke a mock-jovial voice to her left.

She spun her head around and saw one of the doctor's of the Academy. Doctor McCoy, she thought?

"Where am I?"

"You're in the medical ward." He huffed in agitation.

Nyota rolled her eyes; she had figured that out funnily enough, by this point.

He laughed quickly at her reaction, and hastened to explain. "Commander Spock brought you here after you collapsed."

Nyota gaped at him. Commander Spock?

He correctly interpreted her expression. "He carried you in here about two hours ago. Explained that you'd had a run-in with Cadet Kirk and appeared to have hurt your head. We checked you out, and it seems you'd sustained a large bump, not a concussion, but large enough to make you see stars for a little while. And not the ones outside." He grinned at his joke, and Nyota couldn't help but laugh, while her brain was going a mile-a-minute, trying to figure out why the Commander had brought her himself, and not asked someone else to do it. She was torn between acute embarrassment at him lifting her to annoyance at that stupid Cadet Kirk for putting her in this position.

Then she realized Doctor McCoy was still staring at her, probably expecting some response from her.

She coughed awkwardly, trying to cover up her silence. "Well, thank you for your assistance. Am I allowed to sign-out?"

Doctor McCoy nodded. "Just make sure that you don't do any strenuous activity over the next 3 days, you don't want to aggravate that injury, or hurt it worse." He slapped a bottle of pills in her hand. "Make sure you also take 2 of these in the morning and the evening for your headache."

"Thank you, Doctor." Nyota smiled at him, and after signing her release form., She slipped off the bed and walked back to her dorm, her brain torn between plotting evil ways to get revenge on Kirk, to embarassment about being so close to Commander Spock, and the fact that he'd carried her. She was just thankful that it was the end of the semester. She would go by his office tomorrow to thank him, and then she wouldn't have to see him for two whole months, and hopefully he would forget the incident (she conveniently put the thought of him having a photographic memory out of her mind).

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So how did we like the non-movie scene? :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: **Hey everyone! Thanks for all the lovely comments so far, they're really appreciated! This is another out of movie scene. It is slightly different from the movie, but in essence, that's part of fanfiction! Hope you enjoy the new chapter !

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Nyota smiled as she continued to run around the Academy. It was her third year here, and she had a feeling that it was going to be a good year. After the (embarrassing) ending of last summer (with her last day of fainting and having to be carried to the infirmary by Commander Spock), she had thrown herself more intently into studying over the summer, and resulting with a few propositions for her senior thesis that she would be conducting next year.

She had spent the summer at home in Africa, glad for the chance to be home again. As much as she loved the Academy (which she also deemed her second home), there was just something about home _home_ that she couldn't ever let go. It wasn't the place, it was her family that made it special and she knew that no matter what she did, she would always have that place. Her Mother would always be there, as would her Father and the rest of her family. Just thinking about them made her smile.

She continued running along the path around the Linguistics building. Running made her feel free, and cleared her mind. As much as it took time out of her study schedule, it actually helped her release excess energy and enabled her to focus on her work.

She finally took a break as she passed the Science Research into Quantum Warping Building, pausing to lean against the railing as she looked at the San Francisco Bay. She knew that'd she'd miss places like this when she was up in space, but there was the unavoidable thrill of space that she couldn't ignore. The chance to explore the final frontier, explore where no one else had been before; discovering new languages and new people.

"Uhura!"

And new _idiots_. She scowled and turned towards the direction of the voice. Of course it would be Cadet Kirk. No matter what she did, she couldn't seem to shake that guy. She knew what he wanted though, and she wasn't prepared to give it to him. He was the type of person who thrilled in the chase, and walked when it was over. She wasn't interested at all in him though. She knew what type of person she wanted to date, and she wasn't settling for anything less.

"Yes?" She inquired coolly when he got close enough to talk without her yelling (something which she might do anyway, depending on what he had to ask her).

"Message for you from Commander Spock." He handed her a PADD.

She looked at it, and saw a picture of a naked girl on the screen. "Ew!" She quickly threw the PADD back at him.

He looked down at the PADD to see what had caused her reaction. "Oops?" He said sheepishly.

She glared at him. "Message?" She prompted.

"Oh, right. Something about grading papers and he didn't see yours?"

Nyota gaped at him. "Why on earth would he send you with that message?"

"Well -"

Nyota cut him off. "Never mind." She took off running back to the Linguistics building.

Her thoughts ran through her mind furiously as she ran. She had sent him all the appropriate papers required for extra credit (she didn't need it, but she wanted her mark as high as possible), and she had turned in all her papers at the end of class. She couldn't think what on earth it was about, and she didn't really want to talk to him right now because she wasn't dressed in appropriate attire, otherwise known as standard regulation running shorts and shirt, and she was dripping with sweat. However, she knew that there was no way she wanted to delay this, and she wanted to talk to him as soon as possible.

She entered the Linguistics building and quickly ran to the second floor where his office was located and down the hall. She knocked on his door lightly.

"Enter." Came the Commander's monotonous voice.

She walked into his office quietly, appreciating the Commander's preference for order.

"Cadet Uhura." He inclined his head to her in greeting.

"Good afternoon, Commander Spock." She smiled at him.

"Please take a seat." He indicated an empty chair in front of his desk. "How may I be of assistance, Cadet?"

"I was running this morning when Cadet Kirk informed me that you had not received a paper of mine?" She frowned at him in confusion.

He stared back at her, and although his facial expression did not change, she thought she saw a glimmer of annoyance in her eyes.

"I did not inform Cadet Kirk of any such thing," he calmly informed her. "I am unable to conclude how he received that message as I have not talked to him for at least one standard week."

Nyota was confused. Why on earth had Kirk said that her paper hadn't been received when he hadn't even talked to Commander Spock?

After a couple seconds of silence, Commander Spock cleared his throat. "Is that all, Cadet?"

Nyota shook her head. "Yes, I'm sorry to have bothered you Commander. I too am unable to understand how Cadet Kirk assumed that."

"Perhaps he may have been walking by when I happened to be discussing your work with another instructor." Spock suggested.

"That might be possible," Nyota agreed. "Although I wonder why my papers would have been discussed."

"Most likely because they are of the highest quality, Cadet, and are most engaging to read."

Nyota blinked. "Thank you, Commander," she stammered. "Although I am sure that there are much better paper's than mine."

"No thanks necessary, Cadet Uhura. Your work is most efficient for a Cadet and could easily be mistaken for that of a trained Star Fleet officer."

"Thank you, Commander Spock." Her head spun. Commander Spock had actually said her work was interesting!

"Again, no thanks necessary, Cadet. Although," he tilted his head to the side slightly, "I believe in this situation, most humans would also say, you are welcome."

Nyota smiled. "I'm sorry again for the confusion, Commander, and I look forward to our lecture this afternoon." She rose to leave.

"No apologies necessary, Cadet. It was Cadet Kirk's fault for assuming. I am sure he of all people is aware of what assuming can do."

"Make an ass out of me and you?" Nyota supplied.

"Indeed." The Commander's eyes glimmered, and she thought she saw a twinkle of amusement. "Good morning, Cadet."

"Good morning, Commander." She nodded her thanks once more, and left the room.

* * *

Virtual cookies to all reviewers !


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: **Wow, I am SO sorry I haven't updated this story. I actually had all the chapters written out, and then moved abroad and worked for a little while in Florida, and I guess completely forgot that I hadn't posted this. So, please accept my humblest apologies :( Thanks to all those who have read this!

**Disclaimer: **Nope, not mine.

* * *

Nyota grabbed gloves from the table next to the old-fashioned Terran punching-bag. Her mind was racing furiously, and she knew that if she didn't get rid of some of her anger, she would be a writhing mess of anger tomorrow. That _stupid_, Cadet Kirk.

He had taken the Kobayashi Maru test for the third time that afternoon, and somehow had managed to pass the test. Well, she knew how he had managed to pass it, by _cheating_. That slimy, son of a marridian rat, bastard. He had changed Spock's test because he couldn't figure out how to do it without cheating. And he had sat there eating an apple the whole time with the damnedest smirk on his face, which she had wished dearly that she could smack off.

After the enemy had been destroyed, he had sat there, chewing smugly, and shooting smirks at the rest of his 'crew.' She started punching the bag, it would be a cold day in hell before she ever served under him.

She poured at some of her frustration into the punching bag, imagining that stupid idiot's face on it.

"Uhura," whispered a voice behind her.

She groaned inwardly, but refused to let him see her anger at him.

"Uhura," came the voice again, this time in a sing-song. She refused to turn around and acknowledge the bastard though. No one got through life by cheating, _no_ one. He was lucky that they hadn't kicked him out of the Academy already, although she dearly hoped that it might be sometime soon.

"Uhura, come on." Kirk sighed behind her. "What did I do wrong this time?"

"I have nothing to say to you," she spoke through gritted teeth, still punching the bag.

"Come on," he repeated. "What's wrong?"

She stopped punching the bag for a second and blasted her anger at him. "You _cheated!"_

He smirked. "I didn't cheat."

She scoffed angrily. "Yes you did. You _changed_ the simulation. You _cheated._"

"I didn't cheat," he said earnestly. "That test has a no-win outcome, which isn't fair. I used my intelligence," she scoffed at that, "To even the odds. And I won. That isn't cheating, it's utilizing your resources."

She resumed punching the bag. "No, it's, not." She said through gritted teeth. "Every other person who's taken that test has taken the _test._ Not their version of it. You _cheated_."

Kirk sighed. "Didn't. If you were just listening to my explanation."

Nyota laughed quickly. "Oh, you mean that bunch of drivel?"

"Come on," he cajoled. "If it makes you feel better, let's have a sparring match instead of you just punching that bag."

Nyota considered her options, and quickly agreed. She knew that although Kirk was probably stronger than her, she was more agile, and had more than enough anger to make up for it. "You're on."

"Now?" Kirk smiled.

"Now." She smiled back and waited until he put his gloves on before starting.

She got in a solid couple of right and left hooks, and a quick kick to his stomach. He recovered quickly and advanced on her, feinting left which she caught, and quickly feinted to his right, while simultaneously punching his left side.

"Ouch!" He said in mock-hurt.

She smiled sweetly at him, and continued. Upper right jab to his shoulder, and quick blow across the left side of his rib-cage. He grunted in pain and quickly grabbed both of her arms, flipping her over his head behind him. She used this to her advantage and hooked her ankles around his legs and tripping him when he tried to move. She ended up sitting on the upper part of his back, one arm hooked around his throat.

"Truce?" He grunted.

"Not likely," Nyota spat out and shaking her head stood up and started walking away. When she was 1m away, his hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her ankle, pulled her off-balance.

She threw out her hands, trying to stop her fall accidentally collided with Commander Spock, knocking her head with his and landing on top of him. She groaned. Why, did she keep falling into the Commander?

His arms had somehow found themselves around her waist when she had fallen into him, trying to steady her and trying to prevent him from falling. Unfortunately due to her momentum, they were now both on the ground her on top of him.

"Oops," came the wry voice of Kirk behind her.

Nyota lifted her head up. Instead of falling straight to the ground, she had knocked the Commander over as well, who at the moment had his eyes closed. "Commander?" She inquired. There was no response. She started panicking. "Commander!" Still no response. "Kirk, call Doctor McCoy, Commander Spock appears to be unconscious," she ordered quickly.

Kirk grabbed his intercom and paged Doctor McCoy. "Doctor McCoy, we have Commander Spock down in the gymnasium. He appears to be unconscious."

Nyota grabbed her sweater from where she had thrown it carelessly earlier in her anger, which was luckily 1m away from where the Commander had fallen. She balled it up, and lifting his head up gently, slid it slowly under his head, hoping that would aid somewhat. She tried to find a pulse, and was thankful that it was beating strong and regularly. She leaned down to hear breathing, and was relieved to find that although it was quieter than she would have liked, it was still present. They couldn't move him much more than that without the consent of Doctor McCoy however, in case of further injuries.

McCoy shook his head. What on earth was it and Cadet Uhura, Cadet Kirk, and Commander Spock all getting into trouble together? Couldn't they once have an incident without each other? Although, if he had to blame anyone for the trouble, he knew without a doubt that it would be due to Cadet Kirk. That boy just carried trouble with him like a rat carried germs. You couldn't have one without the other.

He grabbed his comm. device and requested a beam to the gym. Within 5 seconds, he appeared on the gymnasium floor and quickly walked over to where he knew the group to be. He saw Jim looking guiltily at the Commander, and saw Cadet Uhura on the floor, kneeling next to Commander Spock.

"Alright guys, so whose fault is it this time?" He asked sarcastically.

Jim raised his hand sheepishly and coughed, flinching under Uhura's harsh gaze. He held his hands out in front him, "My bad, my bad!"

"You're damn well right it's '_your bad,'"_ she said angrily. "The fight was over, and you knew it. Which is why you took the cowardly way out and tripped me when it was already over!"

Doctor McCoy winced as he knelt down beside the Commander, feeling the anger Uhura was radiating.

"If I may, you didn't actually say the fight was over." He said sheepishly.

"Shut it, Kirk!" Uhura snapped.

He snapped his mouth shut and looked around nervously. "Alrighty then, since you guys don't need me anymore, I'm heading out." He walked away quickly before Nyota and McCoy could say anymore.

Nyota breathed in deeply. "What's the verdict Doctor?" She asked quietly, noticing his assessment over Spock had finished.

Doctor McCoy frowned. "Nothing really. Same as you had last year, except a bit more serious. He hit his head rather sharply on the way down, so has a bump that could develop into a concussion. I don't want him going to sleep tonight; it could be dangerous for him."

Nyota nodded, hiding tears. Of all the times that Commander Spock had helped her, and she'd given him a concussion. "Is there anything I can do?"

"We can transfer him to the medical wardbay, although I know that he's a very private person. We'll give him the private room." He stood up and activated his commcomm. device. "Doctor McCoy, requesting transportation of Commander Spock, Cadet Uhura, and Doctor McCoy to the sickbay."

"Affirmative," came answered the voice over the speaker.

Five seconds later, the group stood in the sickbay. Commander Spock was lying prone on a bed, and Doctor McCoy started pulling wires out of the draw next to the bed and attaching them at various points to the commander. "You got any plans tonight?" He directed to Nyota.

She shook her head. "Just studying."

"Still want to help?"

"What can I do?"

"As soon as he wakes up, keep him awake. You're one of his students right?"

"Used to be. I'm now his teaching aide."

Doctor McCoy smiled, "Even better. Keep him awake doing whatever you can. Make sure he doesn't fall back asleep. Got it?"

She smiled. "Got it."

"Alright, he's all hooked up. Push this button," he indicated to a big red button next to the bed, "If you need anything. That's including dinner."

Nyota nodded.

"You need anything else before I go?"

"No." Nyota smiled and sat down in an empty chair on the other side of the bed.

"Like I said, let me know if you need anything. We'll be close." He nodded at her, and exited the room.

Nyota groaned and let her head drop into her hands. If she hadn't been so angry at Kirk over his stupidity over the test, she would never have agreed to a sparring session. And if she had never agreed to that sparring session, he wouldn't have pulled her ankle, and she would have never fallen on the Commander. If she hadn't fallen on the Commander, he wouldn't be currently lying inert in the medical bay with a concussion. Sometimes, well most of the times, Jim Kirk was one of the most annoying people in the universe.

According to the Doctor, Spock would be unconscious for approximately one more hour. She decided to get changed, and utilize the cleaning resources the medical ward bay thankfully had. She commed messaged Gaila for some clean clothes and her PADD which arrived 2 minutes later. She took a last look at the Commander, reassuring herself that he was still breathing before quickly entering the shower facilities.

She quickly scrubbed herself clean, taking 5 minutes, dried in another 5, and dressed in clean clothing in 5 minutes. Overall, a total of 20 minutes. She felt a lot better thankfully though, not as out of touch and grimy as she had before. She quietly slipped back into Spock's private room after she was finished.

Nyota sat back down in the chair by his bed, and turned on her PADD, intent on catching up with the daily reports and responding to her mail. She spent half her time focusing on the reports, and half the time watching Spock, trying to ascertain when he would wake up.

His eyelids started twitching 45 minutes after he had first hit his head. She leaned over him eagerly, and then drew back when she realized what she was doing. "Commander Spock?" She asked gently.

His eyelids flickered several more times before he was able to open them fully, and it took 10 more seconds for him to focus on her. "Cadet Uhura?" He asked confusedly.

"How are you feeling, Commander?"

"Obviously not as well as usual, otherwise I would not be in the medical bayward, if I am correct?"

Nyota stifled a laugh. Even after he had just had a Cadet crash-land into him, knocked unconscious, and given a concussion, he was still the most logical man she knew. "You are correct, Commander."

"I am unsure however, as to what indeed happened that resulted in my admittance to this facility?" He asked inquiringly.

Nyota flushed slightly. "Cadet Kirk and I were engaging in a sparring match, and after the match had finished, he accidentally caught my ankle, tripping me, and I in turn fell onto you."

The corner's of his mouth twitched slightly. "Cadet Uhura, I do not believe that it is quite correct to say that Cadet Kirk accidentally caught your ankle. I believe he did so in order to prevent losing to you after he had determined that he had been defeated."

Nyota laughed softly. "You may indeed be correct in that statement, Commander."

"However, I do recall that I indeed hit my head on the ground, and believe that I may have a slight concussion, is that also correct, Cadet Uhura?"

"Indeed, Commander."

Although his expression did not change, Nyota thought she saw him frowning slightly. "Which This would also imply that I am not allowed to sleep tonight?."

"Correct again, Commander."

"Thank you for your assistance, Cadet Uhura, I believe that I owe you thanks in assisting me to the medical bay, and I look forward to seeing you at our next class."

Nyota blinked. That she had not quite been expecting. She chose her next words carefully. "No thanks necessary, Commander. After all, I am indeed the one who knocked you down. Doctor McCoy stated that someone needed to make sure that you stayed awake tonight, and as I am your teaching assistant and the person who was there when you sustained the concussion, and the reason for it, I volunteered to stay."

He blinked, and she thought she saw some confusion in his eyes. "I believe that we ascertained before, Cadet Uhura, that it was not your fault for my concussion. It is also unnecessary for you to stay with me tonight, as I am sure that I will be able to keep myself awake, but I thank you for your assistance." His eyes started to look slightly glazed over and his eyelids started drooping slightly.

Nyota grinned. "No thanks necessary, Commander. However, I do believe that you are indeed trying to sleep. I think it will be prudent for me to stay here tonight, to make sure that you do not sleep."

Spock knew that he was indeed, as the humans would say, 'caught.' "Very well, Cadet Uhura. As we are in an informal setting, and as we will most likely be engaging in discussion, you may simply call me Spock. I believe that it will be easier."

"Thank you, Spock." She said softly. "You may call me Nyota."

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Sorry again gang! I'll post the last chapter either tomorrow or the day after!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:** As promised, this is the last chapter. This was written a while ago, so I would probably like to edit this at some point, but because I know you've all been waiting so long, here it is, and hopefully an edit later! Thanks to all of you who have stuck with this :)!

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

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Nyota stood still in shock. She had just seen an entire planet disappear, and knew that billions of people had suddenly ceased to exist. Their lives had been wiped out by a single ship and a single matter. Their homes were destroyed, their land gone, their planet wiped out. It was as though they had never been there. But, everyone knew that they had.

There were survivors, approximately 10 000. The Council Elders had been rescued by Spock, which had preserved the essence of their culture, but the people themselves were gone. Their stories, their lives, their memories, gone. She knew that as awful as it had been for the devastation to occur, it would leave longer-lasting, and more painful effects for the living survivors.

Her heart ached painfully. She had been in turmoil since she had sat in the Academy meeting chamber to attend the hearing of Kirk cheating during the Kobayashi Maru test, and the news that Vulcan was in distress. She had been assigned to the _Farragut_, and had been furious. She knew that Spock and she had become close over their working relationship and were now indeed friends, but nothing more, no matter how much she hoped. She protested furiously to Spock regarding her assignment, quoting his own words back to him, and he had assigned her to the _Enterprise._ If she had not protested her assignment, she would have died approximately one standard hour ago.

She was also on the verge of dying when Spock had beamed to the surface of Vulcan, intent on rescuing his family and the Vulcan Elders. Seeing him leave had been one of the hardest things she had had to do, and it was then that she had realized that her feelings for Spock were not just of friendship.

If she honest to herself, she knew that she had always had a small affection for the Commander. He was strong, gentle, kind, patient, intelligent, and a million other things that she could not possibly put into words. Their relationship had started with that of a teacher-student, and he had been the best possible teacher she could have ever hoped to have had. He had widely exceeded her expectations, and although she knew him to be one of the most difficult teachers at the Academy, he had been the best.

Then, she had become his teaching assistant. Their late nights of grading assignments and discussing her Senior Thesis had blossomed into mealtimes at his apartment where they would continue their discussions and actually discuss the merit of their individual ideas. She was thrilled that they were actually able to discuss these topics in-depth, rather than the fleeting conversations she had indulged with in her peers. Although her peers were as intelligent as her, they were in different topics, and she could not deny that linguistics had always been her passion, not ships and computers as her other friends were.

She grew more attached to those dinners and conversations than she would admit to anyone, and it gave her a secret thrill inside each and every time those dinners occurred, and every time she thought about them. She knew that she was the closest human companion aside from Captain Pike that Spock had on earth, and that gave her thrills when she thought about how much she relied on Spock, and hoped that he relied on her even to some of that extent. She knew that when she was in trouble, or needed help (which wasn't often), that he was always someone she could count on. Similarly, when Spock had trouble understanding certain human idioms or expressions, he knew that he could count on her.

The feelings only grew each time he had helped her out of sticky situations, especially those of Jim Kirk's doing. Especially two nights ago when he had been in the medical bay due to her unfortunately giving him a concussion, and they had finally agreed to dropping formalities and addressing each other by their actual names. She had discovered more about him that night than ever before, and she presumed that it was because of the concussion that he was not quite in control of his emotions.

She had heard about some of his childhood on Vulcan, and he had divulged some of his more painful memories of that childhood to her unintentionally. He told her about being accepted to the Science Academy, and turning it down. Her admiration for him grew that night exponentially, and she knew that no man or alien she would ever meet would ever measure up to her expectations of him.

And now, she glimpsed the devastation in his eyes as he held out his hand in a last call to the Mother he had loved dearly and had been trying to save. The pain and fury in his eyes at being one second earlier would have prevented his Mother from dying. The agony at seeing a woman he had loved dearly being ripped from him, and unable to do anything. The rage at seeing his planet destroyed and sucked into itself until not even a shred remained, and unable to stop it.

The despair in his voice that only she had been able to identify when he recorded his Captain's Log, detailing the destruction of his home-world, and his pain at being a member of an endangered species.

As he finished the recording, her eyes were welling with tears. She knew that he could not allow himself to break down in front of his crew, and that he would not show emotion to them, no matter the pain that he endured himself. So she would do it for him. The events of the last few hours showed her that she had nothing to lose. She should have died, but she didn't. So, she would live, for him.

He turned around after he finished the recording and walked carefully to the elevator. She followed him in without saying anything and waited until it started it'sits motion. When she knew it to be between two floors she hit the emergency stop. Their relationship was too precious to her to be left as it was, and she was too aware of this man, and her love for him, to stop her from pretending anymore that it was just friendship. It was more, so much more.

She turned to him, looking him deeply in the eyes, trying to convey the agony she felt to him. She raised her hands, lifting them to his face, trying to communicate her hurt. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." She whispered against his cheek. She kissed the side of his face, trying to take away some of his hurt. She pressed feather-light kisses along his jaw-line, trying to soothe his hurt and take it upon herself. He leaned slightly into her and she moved her hands down to his shoulders, pulling him closer to her.

He hesitated slowly at first, and after a few seconds, he allowed himself to be pulled closer to her.

She pulled her face slightly away from his chest, and pressed a kiss close to his ear. "What do you need?" She whispered. She looked up at his face, trying to gage his expression. She was the only one who caught the subtle nuances of his expressions and knew even remotely what he was feeling. She gently placed her hands back on his face, and leaned her forehead against his, trying to exude some form of comfort. "Tell me. Tell me." She whispered softly.

Spock shuddered. There was an animal inside his chest fighting to emerge. Fighting to rip apart the bastard that had taken his Mother from him, and destroyed his home. The bastard that had almost killed Nyota. He was in agony, if he had not changed her assignment to the _Enterprise_, she would now be dead.

He decided the moment that he had seen the _Farragut_ explode into flames that he no longer cared about preserving the gentle relationship he had with Nyota. He wanted it all, and he had calculated that there was a high probability that she wanted it too.

He had found himself drawn to her as a student, drawn to her brilliant mind, and her never-ending enthusiasm for answers. He had willingly responded to her dedication, and taught her everything he was capable of.

When she had become his teaching assistant, he knew that he had made a wise choice. She had a brilliant mind, and more than that, he had come to rely on her heavily. Just as he was able to aid her in academic studies and choices, she had been able to greatly aid him with understanding human idioms and practices.

Their late-night grading sessions had slowly graduated to meals at his apartment where he enjoyed some of the most intellectually stimulating conversations that he had ever had, even with other colleagues and Vulcans. He had been careful of their friendship however, knowing that her companionship was too valuable to lose.

The night that they had spent in the medical bay had been one of the most enjoyable in his memory. He knew that he had divulged too much due to his inability to control his emotions because of his concussion, but the next morning he was thankful, because he was taught not to express his emotions. Vulcans did not show their emotions as a rule, and he was thankful that he had least been able to do it once.

However, with the death of his Mother, his inability to save her, the destruction of his home-planet, and almost losing Nyota, he had shunned his need for safety and safe-guarding their friendship. His emotions were raw, and he knew that he could not express them to anyone else because the animal that was roaring in his chest was threatening to escape and he knew that he would be unable to control it when he did.

But, he knew that he could give those emotions to Nyota, to safeguard for him. When she had followed him into the elevator, pressed the emergency stop, and began touching him, it was all he could do not to respond. He soon found himself unable too however, a combination of his emotions and his devastation at the thought of losing another person dear to him. Not just another person dear to him, he corrected himself, someone he loved.

He knew that he loved Nyota. She was intelligent, smart, funny in her human way, beautiful, stubborn, and many other things he could not adequately express, but would do his best to try.

He had given in to some of his emotions, and allowed himself to be pulled into her hug. He gazed into her beautiful brown eyes, full of tears, reflecting the emotions that he could not allow himself to express. If he gave into his emotions, they would flood his senses, and he would be reduced to a basic creature, intent on the destruction of the bastard that just destroyed his home-planet, and he could not allow that to happen. He needed to retain some sense of his faculties in order to rescue Captain Pike and arrive at the rendezvous as well as possible under the circumstances.

He allowed himself a moment of comfort, held in the protective circle of Nyota's arms, and felt her strength. He breathed in her lightly floral scent, trying to compose himself. He whispered next to her ear, trying to gain back his measure of control with every word. "I need everyone to continue performing admirably." He slowly got out, gaining more control with each word. Knowing that he couldn't turn back, he depressed the emergency elevator button to continue its journey.

She hugged him one last time, pressing one final kiss next to his ear, and leaned back with her hands on his face, looking into his eyes. "Okay." She whispered, knowing how close he had been to losing control, and needing to provide that strength for him to continue.

Nyota could have gladly pummeled Kirk to within an inch of his life after what he said to Spock regarding his Mother. She had found herself unconsciously drifting closer to both Spock and Kirk, hearing what Kirk was saying, and yet unwilling to believe her ears.

She had been about to punch him herself, when Spock had suddenly snapped and poured all his anger, fury, and emotion into attacking Kirk. His hands were clasped around Kirk's throat and she was desperately willing for him to stop, knowing the agony that he was feeling, and the agony that he would undoubtedly feel if he continued. She walked slowly over to where Spock was, about to lay a hand on his shoulder to make him return to his senses when his Father entered the bridge.

"Spock!"

He startled Spock out of his reverie, and his hands dropped away from Kirk's throat. His mind flew over what had just happened, and he knew that he could not allow it to happen again. "I resign my position as Captain, I am emotionally compromised." He walked out of the bridge before anyone could protest and walked to his chambers, trying to gain a scrap of control.

He soon heard footsteps approaching him, and he lifted his head, seeing his Father standing next to him.

"You once asked why I married your mother, Spock."

Spock tried to hide his astonishment. Vulcans never talked about emotions.

"I married her because I loved her." The elder Vulcan smiled wistfully. "I allowed human emotion to rule a part of myself, and I have never regretted it, nor her, nor you. My deepest regret is that I wasn't able to show her that every day, and I do not wish for you to follow that path. Emotions do not compromise a person. They allow them to see things more clearly."

Nyota stood next to Kirk, hands clenched into fists, angry tears in her eyes. "I hope you know what you're doing," she hissed at Kirk.

"Me too," he sighed, looking seriously in her eyes.

She stormed away, knowing that one second more and she would be mimicking the same actions that Spock had just been engaged in.

She found herself drawn into the discussion regarding warping onto Nero's ship while in motion.

"It is possible to do it, Captain!" Chekov said earnestly.

Nyota shook her head, these kinds of calculations had never before been attempted, and one wrong number, and the Captain could be transported into a black hole.

"Doctor, Mr. Chekov is correct," came a dry voice behind her.

Nyota spun around, and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Spock. She knew how hurt he had been at Kirk's insinuations and as much as she had wished to follow him, she had seen his Father following him, and knew that her presence would have been unnecessary.

"I will transport onto the ship, and attempt to steal back the dark matter." He stated matter-of-fact, while Nyota's heart broke a bit more, knowing of the danger he was willing to put himself in, in order to save others.

Kirk took a deep breath. "I'm coming with you."

Spock cocked his head slightly. "I would cite regulation, but I know you will simply ignore it."

Kirk laughed shortly, "See? We are getting to know each other." He slapped Spock on the shoulder and walked out.

Nyota walked over to Spock, and lay a hand on his arm. "I'm glad to have you back," she whispered.

He caught her hand gently, and smiled in response. "My presence is needed in the transport room. Will you walk with me?"

Nyota smiled. They walked of the bridge together, and as soon as they were out of sight, he reached down and caught her hand. They walked to the transport room like such and Nyota treasured each second, knowing that they could be the last few they shared between them. They walked to the transport pads, and unable to resist anymore, she leaned close to him, holding his face in her hands and poured all her emotions into one kiss.

His hand curled around her waist, pulling her closer, uncaring off the people watching, simply caring about this moment, and what could possibly be their last few moments.

They mutually broke apart a short time later, and gasping, lay their foreheads against each other, hands still clasped, and fingers intertwined.

"I will be back." Spock said softly.

Nyota leaned closer to him, holding onto each last moment. "You better be. I'll be monitoring your frequency."

Spock smiled gently at her. "Thank you, Nyota."

She gave him one last lingering kiss, and turned to leave, giving Spock one last lingering look, and then left quietly.

"So her first name's Nyota?" Kirk asked, in an attempt to ease some of the tension.

"I have no comment on the matter." Spock quickly responded.

When Spock was able to beam back aboard the _Enterprise_ after destroying the black matter, he was caught in a pair of arms, which he willingly collapsed into for a second. He looked up and saw Nyota's dark brown eyes looking down at him. "Our presence is needed on the bridge," he said urgently. He stood up and grabbing her hand, ran with her to the bridge.

The transmission was open, showing him the bastard that had destroyed his home-planet and killed his Mother. Thankfully Kirk was already on the bridge, and offered peace-terms to the Romulan. Spock was outraged.

"Captain, what are you doing?" He asked softly, trying to suppress his anger.

Kirk frowned. "Showing them compassion. It may be the only way to earn peace with Romulus. It's logic, Spock, I thought you'd like that."

Spock smiled without humor. "No, not really. Not this time."

Thankfully, Nero refused to accept the peace-terms and the order to fire was given. Spock and the rest of the _Enterprise_ crew watched as his ship caught flame and became a fireball in the darkness of space.

Spock felt a heaviness on his chest that he hadn't noticed before slightly lessened. Amidst the celebrations, Nyota found her way over to him. She nuzzled into his side, placing her hands on his face, allowing him to drop his forehead on hers.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly, knowing the answer, but needing to ask.

"I will be." He nodded sharply. "Nyota, I realize that in the midst of these tumultuous events, we may both have experienced feelings that we may have not normally, and I will not harbor any grudge against you if you realize that some actions may have been errors."

Nyota laughed softly. "You're not getting rid of me that easy, Spock." She tilted her head up, and grazed her lips across his. "You're mine." She whispered softly.

"And you, are mine." He whispered in return, planting a feather-light kiss at the edge of her jaw-bone, and sliding to her mouth, proceeding to tell her in that kiss what he had longed to tell her for so long.

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And there we go :)! Again, my apologies for the delay in this! I really would like to go back and re-edit this, but here you go for now so that it isn't too much longer!


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